Union General Health System

What it reported doing in 2024

Chatuge regional hospital (crh), a 501(c)(3) healthcare organization, takes a proactive approach to meet community health needs, the organization's tax-exemption requirements and offers community benefit programs and services which result in a positive impact on community health. Crh and chatuge regional nursing home (crnh) have a vision to be the "first choice" provider of comprehensive medical services in our area. We value our patients and residents and believe they are our most important responsibility. We shall always seek to meet the physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual needs of our patients and their families. We value our medical staff and will seek ways to help them improve professionally and facilitate the practice of medicine. We value our employees and shall treat each other with courtesy, fairness, respect, and integrity. We shall work as a team to do our best to promote our mission and fulfill our vision. We value our community. We are committed to the treatment and care of our patients and promotion of health and wellness in our community. We will confront all ethical and moral health-related issues necessary to enhance the quality of life in our community. We value quality care and will seek to deliver customer-focused, cost efficient services with compassion and caring. Effective may 1, 2002, crh was deemed to be a critical access hospital by the centers for medicare and medicaid services (cms) and by the Georgia department of community health (dch). Crh is the only acute care hospital in towns county, Georgia. Crh is limited to 25 acute and intensive care medical/surgical beds. These beds are also used for short-term skilled nursing care. Outpatient services include radiology, laboratory and other diagnostic services, rehabilitation services, and 24/7 emergency medical services. Crnh is the only nursing facility in the county providing skilled and intermediate levels of long-term care. Crnh is licensed for 112 beds and consistently has a waiting list for admissions. A majority of the residents of crnh are medicare and medicaid beneficiaries. It is a long-established policy of crh to provide quality care for its patients regardless of their financial circumstances. Qualification for hospital indigent care is set at 125% of the current federal poverty guidelines and is based on size of the family unit. Crh and crnh also provide free or reduced cost care to all eligible persons requesting charity care assistance. For emergency medical services, including active labor, no person will be denied care due to an inability to pay for services. Crh and crnh participate in medicare, medicaid, peachcare, tricare, and/or other government-sponsored health care programs. Crh, in conjunction with its sister hospital, union general hospital, are the only tax-exempt, non-profit hospitals within the immediate eight-county area of the north central and northeast Georgia mountains. Due to the mountainous terrain and being bounded by the chattahoochee national forest and lake chatuge, towns county and its neighboring clay county, nc, have several very remote communities from which access to medical care can literally be more than an hour away in some cases. Towns county attracts many visitors for camping, hiking, fishing and hunting. The twisting mountain roads attract bicyclists and motorcyclists throughout the spring, summer and fall seasons. These activities many times result in medical emergencies, some very serious, for which the emergency department of crh must be prepared. Crh established a family medical practice in hayesville, nc (clay county) to help meet the medically underserved in the community. The medical office is staffed with family nurse practitioners and supported by physicians from crh's emergency department.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 85.8%; rating input score 86
• Program expense ratio: 87.1%; rating input score 87
• Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Missing
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 1.4%; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.52; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.21; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 4.2%; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 5.6% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 5.6% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 4% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings